11 Tips for Adapting a Minimalist Makeup Routine

If you are burnt out on trying to keep up with the latest makeup trends and even watching a YouTube makeup tutorial makes you feel overwhelmed, we’ve got good news for you! There are several things you can do to simplify your makeup routine while still looking amazing. We get it, even some of the minimalist makeup routines have so many layers it can make your head spin. That’s why, for today’s post we’re steering clear of multi-step makeup routines and really working to simplify the entire process altogether.

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Focus on your skin care routine

The first step to making sure your face is always looking great is to start with a great skincare routine. Of course, this is something people seem to overcomplicate these days as well. It seems like every time we open our eyes their is a new skin care contraption that everyone is trying to sell us.

If you love the idea of skipping the skin care aisle but are terrified of the consequences, consider this your simplified skin care routine.

• Stick with the dermatologist approved products. After scouring every dermatologist’s TikTok account, there are a few repeats that always seem to surface. CeraVe always tops the list.
• Cleanse twice with a clean cloth. Washing your face twice in the morning and at night can help to make sure you’re really getting all the gunk off your face and maintaining clean skin. Having designated face washing was cloths is a good way to do this. CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser is a top recommended one.
• Vitamin C and moisturize during the day. After you’ve washed your face in the morning, using a Vitamin C serum is good for protecting and healing skin from UV damage.
• Sunscreen. I’m sure we’ve all heard a thousands times that having a solid sunscreen is important. (check our recommendation for sunscreen + tinted moisturizer below).
• Retinoid and moisturize at night. For nighttime skin maintenance another consistently recommended product is retinol face serum along with moisturizer.

While even opting for a skin care routine can be overwhelming, this minimalist system narrows it down to 5 products versus the overwhelming 500 that flood the skin care aisle at Target.

As always, take what works for you and leave the rest.

Learn your color palette

There is a new amazing super power that is being talked about more and more these days and that is the power of knowing what colors work best for your skin tone. As bananas as it might sound, figuring out which colors work with your skin type can help compliment your natural beauty therefore naturally requiring you to need less makeup.

No, you don’t have to be a color mixing genius, using a few simple steps you should be able to get a general idea of which colors work best for you. Follow this guide here.

Of course, at the end of the day, you decide which colors you like best and what helps you feel the most like you. If you need a guiding point, go ahead and find your color palette!

Opt for tinted moisturizer

I know we walked about moisturizer and sunscreen in the skincare section, what we didn’t mention until now is that you can often combine these things to cut down on how many products you have cluttering up your countertops.

To kill 4 birds with one stone, this tinted moisturizer from The Honest Company is our personal favorite. Not only does this cover 3 of your daily skin care requirements, having a tint can also help you skip any need for foundation! Win, win!

Aim to touch up instead of cover up

Since you’ve already opted for a tinted moisturize (or no cover up at all), instead of caking your face in anything, or working on a complicated prep routine, why not aim for basic touch ups?

This might mean concealing red spots on your face or dark circles under your eyes. Instead of an all over concealer, aim to tidy up those little areas where you’d like to add a little brightness.

If you’re up for it, you could take it a step further and work to add some contouring to your face in order to highlight all of the areas you want to stand out. There are more expensive companies that offer great minimalist makeup sticks like Merit Makeup Stick (keeping clutter minimal), however, Target also has a great one from Makeup Revolution that is one of our faves!

Pre-curl lashes before mascara

One of the best ways to up-level your lashes is to make sure you curl them before you apply mascara.

This simple step can make all the difference in how your lashes look, especially if you’re skipping the eyeliner! In fact, learning to master your lash curling routine can even give the impression of fake lashes! If you want to perfect your lash curling game (a huge life accomplishment, we know), check out this mini how to guide.

Bronze your lids instead of eye shadow

To maintain a minimalist makeup routine and avoid adding more makeup to your makeup bag, opt for using your contouring color for your eyelids in place of eyeshadow. You can use the same makeup stick as you used for your touch ups.

This gives the eye a naturally darkened look that can make your eyes pop while still giving an overall minimalist, no makeup look.

Easy on the brows

We know brows are all the rage right now…wait, are they still? Maybe the trend has changed since we started this sentence? Instead of trying to keep up with the ever-changing fads of thick, thin or shaved brows, why. not aim to highlight the ones you currently have.

Loving on your natural eyebrows might mean using a light eyebrow pencil to color them in, brushing them out or simply letting them be. Whatever the case, we are giving you the go ahead to scratch a 5 minute brow routine off your to do list.

Highlight your favorites

OMG, this is embarrassing, but we haven’t even asked what you like about your makeup routine? Instead of trying to cover all the bases, why not accentuate your favorite part?

This might mean going a little heavier on the eye makeup, but keeping everything else simple.

Going bold with your lip color while toning down the eyes.

Want to contour like crazy, but that’s about it?

Find what works for you to enjoy the process of applying makeup. Who says you have to follow anyone else’s rules?

Don’t sleep on basic lip care

If trying to navigate applying lipsticks, glosses, and masks makes your head spin, why not stick with your favorite basic lip balm and call it a day.

There is a reason Carmex is trending…because a quality lip product that works will never go out of style. True, we might get distracted with other, better packaged products, but the ruth remains that what worked once will work forever.

Focus on high quality makeup vs. the latest trends

We live in a world with ever changing trends, especially when it comes to makeup and skincare. That’s why it’s important to find the products that work for you and stick with them like your life depends on it.

That might mean splurging for a little spendier products, since you are using fewer anyway. It might also mean sticking with your same drugstore makeup routine because, frankly, it’s not that important to you to begin with.

Whatever you opt to do, be sure you are allowing yourself to have whatever your version of the best is. You deserve it.

Declutter your makeup bag every 6 months

Finally, in the name of minimalism, make sure you are re-evaluating and decluttering your makeup bag every 6 months or so. Expired makeup can wreak havoc on your skin, and this is also a good way of making sure you are only keeping products that are getting used!

Do you have a minimalist makeup tip or routine that you swear by? If so, drop it in the comments!

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